Page 25 of Love In Harbor Falls

“Get to know him. You might be surprised what you find out, and you may actually enjoy him. I know I would.”

I rolled my eyes as I said goodbye and ended the call. I thought about how frightened I was to tell people I was divorced and never thought in a million years I would become a member of the divorce club. Believe it or not, nobody in my family had ever been divorced. I felt ashamed and embarrassed as I thought people would judge me. Anxiety was getting the best of me just thinking about it, so I picked up the phone and called Hannah.

“Hey, sis. I was going to call you.”

“Hey. There’s no shame in being divorced, right?”

“What? No. Where is this coming from? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just didn’t want anyone to know, and then I told Annie next door, and she told her friends, and Colin overheard.”

“Colin from the bar?”

“Yeah.”

“So what? Addy, you did nothing wrong and have nothing to be ashamed of. Darren is the one who should be ashamed. You should take pride in the fact that you dumped him for what he did. You’re a strong and independent woman who walked away from a man who was an emotional manipulator. In fact, you need to shout it to the world. Don’t be afraid to tell your story. You have nothing to hide, and people aren’t going to judge you. They’re going to applaud you for doing the right thing.”

Everything Hannah said rang true, and I felt stronger after talking to her. She always had a way with words and knew how to make me feel better. I ran upstairs to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, checking my makeup and hair. After all, I did want to look presentable when Colin arrived. After dusting a bit of powder on my face and brushing through my long blonde hair, I heard the doorbell, and the fluttering inside flared up again.

“Hi.” I grinned as I opened the door.

“Hi. Dinner is served.” Colin handed me a couple of brown paper bags. “And one new garbage disposal.” He picked up the box that sat beside him with a smile.

“Wow. What an exciting night.” I laughed.

CHAPTER14

Adalyn

We sat across from each other at the dining table, eating lobster rolls, French fries, and a side salad with a champagne vinaigrette, which was the bar & grille’s house dressing and by far the most popular in Harbor Falls.

“Can I be honest with you about something?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“I’ve never had a lobster roll before I stepped into your bar.”

“Are you serious?” Colin laughed.

“Very serious.”

“And yet you took a chance on them. Why?”

“Because you suggested it.” I smiled. “And you were convincing enough they were the best.”

The one thing I noticed more tonight than any other time was how comfortable I felt talking to him. Colin was an easy-going and very relaxed guy, something Darren wasn’t and never had been.

“I gave a lot of thought to what you said last night about not being ashamed about my divorce. The truth is I am, or I was. I never dreamed that I would one day be a divorced woman. When I married Darren, I thought we’d be together forever, and I thought I knew him. But it turns out I didn’t know who he was at all. I spent six years with that man, from the time I met him, and we were married, and I never knew him at all. How is that possible?”

“I guess no one ever truly knows anyone,” Colin said.

“That’s sad. Don’t you think?” My brows furrowed.

“It is. I think when two people are together and in love, there needs to be real open and raw honesty. I never thought Olivia would call off our wedding and move to Seattle.”

“And I never thought Darren would have a vasectomy and never tell me.” The words just fell out of my mouth.

“What?” he asked with surprise.

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